Best Preorder App for Shopify Stores 2026

In 2025, the competition across ecommerce has never been fiercer and the brands that thrive are those that plan ahead. A preorder app empowers Shopify merchants to unlock early revenue, predict demand, and maintain sales momentum even when stock is limited or unavailable.

In this article from ConnectPOS, we will explore the best preorder app Shopify stores, highlighting tools that streamline preorder management, automate notifications, and optimize inventory control.

Table of Contents

Highlight:

The best preorder app Shopify solution unlocks early revenue and provides critical data to predict demand, reducing inventory risk for merchants.
Key criteria include payment flexibility (deposits/deferred charge) and robust real-time inventory syncing for accurate omnichannel fulfillment.

Why a Preorder App Matters for Shopify Stores

A preorder app is a Shopify tool that enables merchants to sell products before they are physically available. Unlike standard back-in-stock alerts, preorder apps facilitate immediate purchase, payment collection, and customer communication while products are still in production or awaiting shipment.

Unlock early revenue: Preorders allow merchants to collect funds before products hit the warehouse, improving cash flow and reducing financial risk. For instance, industry data shows that 28% of all preorders are placed on the very first day of availability, giving businesses the capital to fund manufacturing without depleting cash reserves.
Gauge demand and manage expectations: Preorders provide real-time insights into customer demand. When tracking preorder volumes, merchants can make informed decisions on production, inventory allocation, and marketing strategies. Customers also receive clear information about expected shipping dates, helping to set realistic expectations and reduce support inquiries.
Maintain sales momentum: Even when products are temporarily out of stock, preorder apps allow merchants to continue generating sales. This maintains brand visibility, keeps customers engaged, and guarantees that demand is captured rather than lost to competitors.

Key Criteria for Choosing a Preorder App

The most effective preorder apps in 2026 offer more than just a button swap; they provide a comprehensive management layer. When evaluating which best preorder app Shopify store owners should select, focus on these critical criteria:

Payment flexibility

The modern customer demands choice, especially for purchases with delayed fulfillment. The ideal app must support:

Full Upfront Payment: For immediate cash flow.
Partial Payments/Deposits: Allowing customers to reserve the item with a small deposit, improving conversion rates for high-value goods.
Deferred Payment (Charge Upon Shipping): Securing the customer’s payment information (card vaulting) and automatically charging them only when the product is physically ready to ship.

Inventory and fulfilment control

A best-preorder app Shopify solution must integrate seamlessly with Shopify’s native inventory system, especially for omnichannel retailers.

Real-Time Stock Syncing: Guarantees inventory levels are accurate across all sales channels (online store, POS, marketplaces) to prevent catastrophic overselling.
Mixed Cart Compatibility: Allows customers to purchase in-stock items and preorder items in a single transaction, with clear handling of split shipping.
Automated Status Switch: The app must automatically change the product status from “Preorder Now” back to “Add to Cart” the moment the item enters stock, and handle the creation of distinct, easily identifiable “Preorder” tags on the order for easy fulfillment.

Customisation & UX

►►► Optimal solution set for businesses: Multi store POS, Next-gen POS, Inventory Management Software (MSI), Self Service, Automation, Backorders

The customer journey must be clear and professional. Key features include:

Customizable Preorder Button and Badges: The button text, color, and size should be easily tailored to match the store’s branding. Attractive, clear badges (e.g., “Pre-order – Ships Dec 15th”) build trust.
Countdown Timers & Urgency Tools: The ability to display a countdown to the expected shipping date or to the end of a limited preorder window creates valuable urgency.

Analytics & reporting: Real-time data on preorder volume, total revenue generated, and conversion rates, allowing merchants to gauge product popularity and adjust production runs.

Top Preorder Apps for Shopify in 2026

The 2026 market highlights apps that offer advanced automation and robust inventory management, making the best preorder app Shopify choice dependent on a merchant’s specific scale and complexity.

ConnectPOS

ConnectPOS is primarily a robust, cloud-based POS system designed for omnichannel retailers. Its inclusion here is due to its powerful, centralized inventory management, which is significant for successfully processing preorders when stock arrives across multiple locations (online and physical stores). While not exclusively a pre-order app, its features for inventory and payment processing help for high-volume preorder fulfillment.

Key Features

Omnichannel Inventory Sync: Real-time synchronization of stock levels across your online store, physical retail locations, and multiple warehouses. This is vital for preventing overselling.
Partial and Deferred Payments: Supports flexible payment options, including accepting deposits or partial payments at the POS, ensuring the pre-order commitment is accurately captured across all channels.
Integrated Order Management: Preorder fulfillment can be managed directly within the unified POS system, simplifying the transition from an online pre-order to in-store pickup or shipment.
Customization: Supports custom payment options and diverse discount rules that can be applied specifically to pre-order deposits or full payments.

High-volume, omnichannel retailers (merchants with both a Shopify online store and physical retail locations) who need centralized inventory and order management to handle pre-orders alongside regular sales.

Preorder Globo

Preorder Globo is a highly-rated, feature-rich app known for its flexibility in managing both future-date pre-orders and back-in-stock alerts. It provides a strong balance of customization and automation, enabling merchants to clearly communicate expected shipping timelines to customers.

Key Features

Flexible Pre-order Types: Easily enable pre-orders for out-of-stock items, upcoming new releases, or specific product variants.
Partial Payment & Discount Support: Allows you to offer partial payments (deposits) and automatically apply a discount to pre-orders as an incentive.
Visual Customization: Full customization of the pre-order button, badges, and the custom delivery notes displayed on the product page and checkout, ensuring brand consistency.
Restock Alerts: Dual functionality allows customers to sign up for “Notify Me” alerts if they choose not to pre-order, helping capture demand either way.

Growth-focused merchants who require a robust set of features, including partial payment options and a combination of both pre-order and back-in-stock alert capabilities within a single app.

Preorder Wolf

Preorder Wolf is positioned as a simple, powerful, and theme-centric solution designed for quick setup and efficient management of pre-orders and back-orders. Its strength lies in its ease of use and focus on setting clear customer expectations without requiring code modifications.

Key Features

Simple Activation: Enables pre-orders for specific products, collections, or variants with just a few clicks. No coding is typically required.
Pre-order Limits: Allows merchants to set a specific limit on the number of pre-orders accepted, preventing overselling and managing demand carefully.
Expectation Setting: Displays customizable delivery text (e.g., “Ships in 4-6 Weeks”) on the product page, cart page, and checkout page to ensure transparency.
Conditional Pre-orders: Can be set to activate only when a product is out of stock, or perpetually for custom/made-to-order items.

New or small to medium-sized stores looking for a simple, reliable, and user-friendly app to quickly implement a pre-order strategy and set clear customer expectations without complex features.

Appikon

Appikon (now part of Boost AI Search & Discovery) offers a strong suite of tools that work in synergy to manage inventory and capture demand. Its focus is on not just pre-ordering but also recovering lost sales through comprehensive waitlist and restock management.

Key Features

Pre-order & Back-order Discount: Ability to offer a discount specifically on pre-orders and back-orders to incentivize early purchase and demand capture.
Waitlist Creation: Creates waitlists for out-of-stock or coming soon products, allowing merchants to gauge interest and send targeted restock notifications.
Automated Status Swap: The system automatically swaps the “Add to Cart” button with “Pre-order Now” when stock hits zero and reverts once the inventory is replenished.
Analytics Integration: Provides analytics on pre-order performance to help merchants with demand forecasting and marketing strategy.

Merchants prioritizing sales recovery and seeking a complete solution that handles pre-orders, back-orders, and automated restock alerts to maximize conversions from items that are temporarily out of stock.

Implementation Tips to Maximize Results

A great app is only as good as its execution. Use these tips to assure your preorder campaigns are a success:

Set Clear Shipping Dates and Terms: The single biggest driver of customer support queries is delivery uncertainty. Clearly display the expected shipment date on the product page, in the cart, and on the order confirmation email. Link to a dedicated, easily accessible Preorder Policy page detailing refund, cancellation, and payment terms.

Use Countdown and Urgency Tools Strategically: Implement countdown timers that tick down to the shipping date (to manage expectation) or the end date of the preorder window (to create urgency). Use scarcity messages, like “Only 50 units remaining for pre-order,” to boost conversions.

Segment Your Communication Campaigns: Reward your most loyal customers with early access or an exclusive discount code. Segmented email campaigns see 62.2% higher order rates, 51.9% higher click-through rates, and 110% higher open rates than non-segmented ones.

Monitor Performance and Iterate Continuously: Track key metrics like the conversion rate of the preorder page and the average time between order placement and fulfillment. If the conversion is low, consider adjusting the pre-order discount or providing more transparent timeline updates.

Confirm a Smooth Transition to Regular Sale: Configure your best preorder app Shopify solution to automatically switch the product status from “Preorder” to “In Stock” (or “Sold Out”) immediately upon inventory arrival, preventing manual fulfillment errors and ensuring a seamless experience.

Read more: Shopify POS System for Business

Conclusion

In short, choosing the best preorder app Shopify directly impacts your store’s scalability, revenue, and customer satisfaction. While several apps offer strong preorder functionality, ConnectPOS stands out as the most reliable, feature-rich, and future-ready solution, combining omnichannel inventory syncing, flexible payment models, and seamless integration with Shopify.

Take control of your preorder strategy, boost early revenue, and future-proof your Shopify store. Contact us today.

FAQs: Best Preorder App Shopify

Can I charge customers later instead of immediately?

Yes. Many top apps (like Timesact and PreProduct) support partial payments (deposits) or deferred payments, where the customer is charged only when the product is ready to ship.

Are preorder apps compatible with Shopify themes?

Generally, yes. The best apps are built to integrate seamlessly with the latest Shopify themes, often requiring no coding. Most popular apps offer dedicated customer support for installation help.

Do preorder apps support partial or split payments?

Yes. Apps such as Advanced PreOrder (Partial Pay) and others offer this feature, allowing customers to pay a deposit now and the remaining balance later, which can significantly boost conversion rates for high-value items.

►►► Optimal solution set for businesses: Shopify POS, Magento POS, BigCommerce POS, WooCommerce POS, NetSuite POS, E-Commerce POS